Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter Narrator: Prentice Onayemi
Series: The Burning #2
Published by Hachette Audio on December 12, 2020
Genres: Fantasy
Length: 15 hours and 32 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
In order to reclaim her throne and save her people, an ousted queen must join forces with a young warrior in the second book of this"relentlessly gripping, brilliant" epic fantasy series from a breakout author (James Islington).
Tau and his Queen, desperate to delay the impending attack on the capital by the indigenous people of Xidda, craft a dangerous plan. If Tau succeeds, the Queen will have the time she needs to assemble her forces and launch an all out assault on her own capital city, where her sister is being propped up as the 'true' Queen of the Omehi.
If the city can be taken, if Tsiora can reclaim her throne, and if she can reunite her people then the Omehi have a chance to survive the onslaught.
Last year I grabbed The Rage of Dragons, the first book of The Burning series, on a whim. I can’t remember how I found it, but it looked interesting, so I grabbed the audiobook. I fell in love with Tau who was the definition of underdog. When I finished, I automatically looked to see when the second book would be available.
The Fires of Vengeance picks up where The Rage of Dragons ends. This fantasy series has magic, dragons, warriors, priestesses and queens. Tau and his group of misfit warriors have shown their grit and are now some of the best fighters in the area. But they have a long way to go in order to get their queen back on the throne and to get the revenge that Tau is after.
I love that we get to know more about Xidda, the dragon queen and her past and the history of her people. She is viewed as divine by her people. She is a reflection of the goddess. But there are a group of people who are trying to put her ungifted twin sister on the throne.
This story really builds on everything that was wonderful about the first book. The worldbuilding is really phenomenal. The characters are really deep and they got even deeper in this book. It has epic fight scenes. Even more, the character interaction is so much better in this story, as compared to the first. The group really comes together and is there for one another. Tau and Xidda are much closer. I think he starts to realize how lonely it is at the top.
If you like fantasy stories, you’ll really enjoy this story. I’m really looking forward to the third book of the series, The Lord of Demons, which is out January 2022 (I don’t know about the audiobook, and I will definitely wait for the audiobook).
Narration:
The first time I listened to Prentice Onayemi was in The Rage of Dragons. I loved his performance. He has a great voice and does an amazing job with all the voices. He is good with both male and female voices. He brings great passion into the story. I would love to listen to him more. I highly recommend giving him a try.
Listen to a clip:
About Prentice Onayemi
Prentice Onayemi’s lyrical style and selective narration choices have
quickly set him apart as a major talent in the audiobook world. Awards include Audie Award Finalist Best Fiction-2016, AudioFile Earphones Award Winner and the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame.
About Evan Winter
Born in England to South American parents, Evan Winter was raised in Africa near the historical territory of his Xhosa ancestors. Evan has always loved fantasy novels, but when his son was born, he realized that there weren’t many epic fantasy novels featuring characters who looked like him. So, before he ran out of time, he started writing them.
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I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
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I remember when you reviewed the first one and it sounded great with the world and the characters. Glad the second book is still going strong.
Yes, this series has been amazing. I can’t wait for the next book.
It’s great the series is continuing so well!
I need book three now.
Very cool. Sounds like an amazing world. Plus great characters who continue to develop and grow – perfect!!
Nothing is better than good characters and I love the ones in this book.
Oh it’s great that it continues to be good!
It’s a wonderful series.
Oh I knew that cover looked semi familiar. I have book 1 I just need to start it. More excited now that we know the second book is great too.
I can’t recommend this series enough. It is really wonderful.
I do need this one! Maybe for xmas
I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.